Yeah, okay
It’s kind of absurd to even think about, but all of it is true. The North Carolina Tar Heels have hired the legendary Bill Belichick as its new head coach now that Mack Brown has moved on to other things.
Had talks between Bill Belichick and North Carolina broken down, Browns passing game specialist and tight ends coach Tommy Rees was considered the favorite to land the Tarheels head coaching job, per league sources. Rees interviewed for the NC HC job twice, and had Nick Saban as…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2024
Belichick was the Nick Saban of professional football world and won NFL Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
He’s also never coached in college — like ever.
I have no idea how Belichick’s career will eventually end up in Chapel Hill as he coaches players closer to his girlfriend’s age, but there’s a solid chance that this all blows up in the faces of the administration in Chapel Hill. It’s almost ridiculous to assume that a legend like Belichick is a mistake as a head coach — but that’s what I’m saying.
I’m also saying that if UNC was a serious college football program, Tommy Rees should have been the hire. Instead, UNC keeps trotting out these old men. Rees, currently the pass game coordinator and tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns, has plenty of experience in the college game — and enough NFL experience to make him even more interesting. At 32, Rees would have lived and breathed this job, and been far more relatable to the college student in 2025 than Belichick.
Of course, I can be proven horribly wrong too. There are (and still will be) a number of different head coaching jobs available this cycle, and maybe Rees is lined up to interview for more. Even before Rees left Notre Dame, we all knew that getting a head coaching job with a Power 4 school was his likely destination at some point. Maybe it will be sooner than later.
At any rate — it should have been with North Carolina, but it’s not (and I’m pretty okay with that). Notre Dame next plays UNC in 2026 in Chapel Hill.